I think Marc's right on when he talks about "training" (read: useful)
instead of education (read: ambiguous). My opinion: pursue
apprenticeships, not internships. I say this both from an applicant
and an institutional perspective. If the best way to get a job is to
get your foot in the door, then the best way to get in the door (and
stay there) is to make yourself invaluable to the institution.
Interns do neat projects and then leave. Apprentices shadow
employees, do the crap work along with the good stuff, and become
essential.
Here's my "getting started in museums" story:
When I decided I wanted to work in a science museum 5 years ago (with
no museum experience or grad degree), I went to two in my area--one
giant, one tiny. I didn't look to see if either was hiring. I didn't
even consider what my dream job would be. I found departments/people
that were interesting, and made the same speech to each: I want to
volunteer for you, part-time, for three months. I have X, Y, Z
qualifications, but no direct museum experience. At the end of three
months, I want us to sit down and assess whether you will hire me for
pay or not.
That's it. In both cases, my offer was accepted. And within three
months, I was getting paid (though not much) for real work. Both
experiences were educational, experience-building, and got me "in the
door" for future opportunities.
When I tell this story, the most common reaction I get is, "Wow. That
was bold." But it doesn't have to be. One of the things that
distresses me about graduate school--and about school in general--is
the way it sets up the expectation that you, the young person/student,
are a consumer of experiences offered to you by teachers and
employers. You are allowed to express yourself, but only in trying to
excel by the terms given by the institution. And then, when you do
excel, there’s a secondary problem—that you leave school impatient to
get THE great job, rather than ready to connect yourself to an
institution in which you can learn and grow. The story is that
teachers know what’s best—and they’ll help you get there.
But in my case, I felt that the internships, graduate programs, and
entry-level positions being offered to me were not best. I thought I
could create an educational strategy that would be more useful both to
me and to my employers. So I asked for it. I asked for mentoring. I
asked for review. I asked to be taken seriously as a potential
contributor. I asked for responsibility.
Nina Simon
Museum 2.0
www.museumtwo.com
On Aug 2, 2007, at 2:25 PM, Marc A Williams wrote:
It is clear from all of the responses that far too many graduates of
museum studies programs (or equivalents) are being produced each year.
This appears to have been the case for at least a decade or two.
This makes job finding difficult, or even impossible for some. The
big question is who is responsible for all of this? Is it the
universities, who are happy to offer a major and take your tuition, as
long as there is student interest? Do they have a collective
responsibility not to flood the job market? If so, which universities
should cut back or eliminate their programs - all of them equally, or
eliminate the less-effective programs? What criteria will be used to
determine this?
Or, is it the responsibility of the students to investigate the
reasonable likelihood of gaining a job upon graduation? How would
they possibly know what their future prospects are? Graduates of
different programs have different degrees of success, but this
information is not tabulated. How does a prospective student know if
they are capable of learning the necessary skills and having the
requisite aptitudes before they commit to studying? What about the
students that really have very little likelihood of succeeding, but
don't have a good self-assessment of themselves?
And what about museums? Does responsibility lie with them? Should
they be advocating for less training opportunities, since they can't
provide employment options? All indications are that museums in the
21st century are facing enormous changes, and the old business model
is not likely to succeed. It appears that the numbers of museums will
be decreasing, especially in the smaller size category, unless
significant re-invention occurs on the order of a paradigm shift.
This will lead to still fewer jobs. Of course, entertainment venues
are ever more merging into museum life, and this may be the new
salvation, although it will most likely be available only to the
larger institutions.
I, of course, am the most familiar with graduate training in
conservation. It seems to me that of all of the museum areas, these
programs have done the best job of matching the number of graduates to
the potential need. There are three US graduate conservation programs
and one in Canada (I am talking only of the broad-based programs, and
not those that train only in a specific limited area, such as library
materials). Each trains approximately 10 students per year. This
matches fairly well with the job opportunities, although some
graduates do go into private practice. My observation is that very
few conservators who want to work are lacking employment. Yes, some
are not working as much (or making as much) as they would like, but
the "unemployment rate" among conservators is low. Now, did this
occur because of a conscious effort on the part of universities to
limit the number of conservation graduates? Or, is it that setting up
and running a conservation graduate program is very expensive, much
more so than a creating a museum studies program?
Here is my anecdotal information, otherwise known as my 2 cents. In
1985, I was the founding director of the Smithsonian Institution's
graduate Furniture Conservation Training Program. When I designed the
program, I was consciously aware of the job possibilities for
graduates, and did not want to flood the market with more wooden
object conservators than could be absorbed. For that reason, we chose
to train an average of two conservators a year. We very intentionally
looked at the number of wooden object conservators being trained by
other programs before deciding on our output. Although I am no longer
involved with the program, the SI has decided to stop training wooden
object conservators, partially because the other programs have stepped
up to the plate and have been training an adequate number of w.o.
graduates.
This is a huge subject area!! Please put forth your own ideas!!!
Brainstorming like this is the first step in creating change that may
make the museum world more friendly for all of us.
Marc
American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
4 Rockville Road
Broad Brook, CT 06016
www.conservator.com
860-386-6058
*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments & Surveys
*Low-Tech Environmental Control
*Moisture Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*Collections Care Grant Preparation
*Conservation Treatment of:
Furniture
Painted Wood
Horse-Drawn Vehicles
Architectural Interiors
Marc A. Williams, President
MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
Former Chief Wooden Object Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
----- Original Message ----- From: "Jenifer Simon" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 4:17 PM
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Advice for Entry Level Applicants?
The responses providing employment advice for entry level applicants in the
arts all serve to support the larger and more important issue of a lack of
career paths in the arts and culture industry and the need for the field to
hire and promote from within.
While certifications and degrees increase a candidate's marketability, they
do not, unfortunately, guarantee that a candidate will obtain a job in his
or her field; especially one that provides opportunities to use and learn
skills in a dynamic environment with proper compensation.
Candidates need to look at jobs and their careers in a new way.
In the museum world of today, a job is not an opportunity for an individual
to gain experience and skills from an employer so s/he can become more
marketable for better jobs at other organizations in the future. Rather, a
job encompasses the activities, skills and knowledge provided by an
individual to an employer that meets the needs and objectives for an
organization for which monetary compensation is awarded.
Seen this way, only apply to those jobs for which you are qualified, have
the appropriate skills for and are interested in. Employers and recruiters
can easily detect applications that are focused and relevant from those that
are sent without purposeful intent and regard for stated qualifications. To
best position yourself, learn what your skill set is and how to articulate
it to others in cover letters, resumes and interviews through compelling,
relevant accomplishments.
In addition to searching Museum-L's archives, sign up for our monthly Art
Career newsletter which provides helpful advice and tools for finding a job
and developing your career. More, while advice is helpful and abound, there
is no substitute for meeting with a Career Coach who is knowledgeable about
museums and the arts and culture industry and who can help you develop
strategies specifically to meet your goals.
Jenifer Simon, M.A.
Training & Careers Associate
Thomas & Associates, Inc.
www.artstaffing.com
6 East 39th Street, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10016
212.779.7059
[log in to unmask]
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